


scarf schedule

by vonseal



Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy Ending, Friendship, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Park Jinwoo | Jin Jin/Lee Dongmin | Cha Eunwoo, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-26 07:30:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13230921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vonseal/pseuds/vonseal
Summary: myungjun liked to put a scarf on bin every single morning, even though classes were going to start, even though it was too hot, even though he was terrified of the future.





	scarf schedule

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Tied Right](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13212285) by [snibnoom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/snibnoom/pseuds/snibnoom). 



> i wanted to write myungbin ;A;
> 
> pls read [tied right](http://archiveofourown.org/works/13212285), bc this is loosely based off that fic and i want everyone to read it bc it made me cry with how adorable it was, pls.

Bin would always arrive to school without a scarf.

Myungjun would always arrive to school with two scarves.

Everyone had become used to it. It was repetitive, a simple schedule of the day, for Myungjun to catch up with Bin, calling out his name as he rushed down the hallway (though he never needed to, Bin would always wait for him at the exact same spot) and then to drape one of his extra scarves around Bin's neck. It didn't matter that they were inside and that Bin would stuff it in his locker after a few minutes; they both grinned, regardless of that knowledge. Myungjun would stand on his tip-toes, craning his neck, and Bin would dip his head down, closing the few inches that would remain between the two of them and kissing him chastely.

And then they would head off; Myungjun would retreat to his art class, his cheeks pink and his lips pulled back in a grin, and Bin would move to put his coat and scarf away in his locker, giggling lightly to himself as he let his fingers linger on the object that had been given to him.

At the end of the day, Bin would put the scarf on again, and Myungjun would seem satisfied. They would walk home; the students weren't sure what would happen afterwards, but Myungjun always managed to get that scarf back, just to bring it in again the next day.

On the rare days that either Bin or Myungjun were sick, or just away from school, it would feel _weird_ , different, and the students who always bore witness to the event would feel as if part of their morning had just been ripped away from them. Somehow, seeing Bin staring forlornly down the hallway, or seeing Myungjun fumbling sadly with his extra scarf, managed to bring down the mood of all those nearby, and they weren't satisfied again until either of the two students would return.

Weirder, even, was the day when _both_ Myungjun and Bin had made it to school, and yet nothing happened. There was no extra scarf in Myungjun's hands. He didn't rush down the hallway with his usual cheery smile, and he didn't greet Bin with warmth and a kiss. He simply walked cautiously, slowly, amid the crowd of students, milling about before the bell rang. His best friend, Jinwoo, was by his side all of a sudden, whereas he would normally wait for Myungjun in their class, understanding that the start of the day, the _Scarf Schedule_ , was a task that belonged solely to Myungjun and Bin, and had no room even for the best of friends.

And Bin wasn't waiting on Myungjun's arrival. He had already hung his coat up in his locker and had already grabbed his books. He might have looked down the hallway once or twice, but when he caught sight of Myungjun, he turned quickly, pushing away some nearby students and rushing to _his_ first class.

It didn't take long for rumors to spread, the most acceptable being that there had been some sort of break-up between the two boys.

Jinwoo mentioned as much, pointing out all of the talk to Myungjun as they ate lunch.

“People are saying you two broke up.”

Myungjun looked up, confused. “How did they know?”

Jinwoo raised an eyebrow, then gestured to his own neck. “The scarf? The kiss every single morning? The way you guys hold hands when you walk home from school? I don't know, Myungjun, there's probably a thousand reasons.”

Myungjun tightened his jaw and played with his food. “Yeah, well, I didn't know people _cared_ that much,” he grumbled.

“You two have been a fixture for, like, two years. Every winter, it's the same ordeal, too. And every spring. And – why did you give him a scarf in the summer?”

“He hardly wore it! It was...it's habit. It _was_ habit. It _isn't_ habit any longer.” Myungjun glared up at Jinwoo. “So maybe we should just drop it, Jinjin.”

But Jinwoo was hardly one to give up. He rolled his eyes. “Come on, Myungjun. You two _loved_ each other. Bin always told me he was going to marry you. What happened?”

Myungjun bit down at his lip; despite his initial warnings, trying to cease the conversation, he felt as if he hadn't really had anyone to talk to concerning the breakup. It had happened so quickly, and he felt lost, like he was in some sort of surreal universe.

“I...I got accepted into art school next year,” Myungjun admitted. His eyes trailed away from Jinwoo's gaze, focusing down the lunchroom, where a silent, sullen Bin sat, picking at his own food and ignoring the words of his friends around him. “It's in Seoul. It's far away. Hours, Jinwoo. An-And I called Binnie – Bin. I called Bin. I told him about what a great opportunity it was, and...”

“Did he break up with you because he's scared of long-distance relationships? That's pathetic.”

Myungjun shifted, and his stare was averted. “ _I_...broke up...with him,” he whispered.

Jinwoo blinked. He hadn't expected that. Myungjun was so in love with Bin; he had been since the moment they had met, bumping into each other one rainy day, falling over and soaking their books and backpacks. Bin had helped Myungjun up, yelling out apologies over the sound of a heavy downpour, while Myungjun had stared at him in shock, too flustered to speak.

(Or, at least, that had been Bin's version of the story, far more believable than Myungjun's version, which included kidnappers and government conspiracies and a dog.)

They had been the couple that would last. Everyone tried to base their relationship off of what Bin and Myungjun had; never did they show much affection in public, save for their Scarf Schedule, but they also didn't ignore each other. They seemed to find the right mix of friendship and love and modesty. So _Myungjun_ breaking up with _Bin_ – it made no sense.

“What?” Jinwoo leaned in closer, keeping his voice down. “Why did you break up with him?”

“Because!” Myungjun started, desperate to explain himself. “It's hours away from Seoul, and you know how long-distance relationships are! It'll never work! Especially because he's younger, and he'll be in high school, and I-I don't think I thought this relationship through, really. I didn't think about the future. I had been so caught up in the present, in how Bin always made me feel. And now that I'll have to leave – I don't know, Jinjin, I don't...I don't think I can keep this relationship up. We'll both be busy – he'll be working on college entrance exams, and I'll be working in art school, probably with a job on the side. I don't think we'll even get the chance to see each other.”

Jinwoo scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Myungjun, I say this as your best friend, as the only authority figure over your relationship, as someone who knows the both of you very well – you could find a way to make it work. Bin would travel to the ends of the earth for you, and I _know_ you wouldn't very well ever truly leave him behind.”

“You don't understand how hard a long-distance relationship would be for the two of us!” Myungjun exclaimed. “You've been dancing around Dongmin for _three years_ , so I don't think you're the best person to take relationship advice from!” Myungjun stood from his seat, his chin quivering; from across the lunchroom, Jinwoo could see Bin glance over, and even from that distance, his eyes appeared hopeful. “So why don't you work out your own issues before commenting on mine! You're _no_ help at all!” He stormed off, leaving an exasperated Jinwoo in his wake, determined never again to offer his assistance to Myungjun's issues.

His resolve lasted until midnight, when Myungjun called him in tears.

“Calm down, Myungjun, and tell me what's wrong,” Jinwoo said, running his fingers through his hair. “I can't understand a word you're saying when you're sobbing like that.”

“I-I-I _said!_ I _said_ I miss him!” Myungjun cried out. “God, Jinwoo, I miss him so much! Do you-you know how hard it was t-to go home after school? I c-couldn't even walk him home. I still ha-have that stupid scarf! I t-took it off every day when he was g-going into his house, and I-I'd promise to give it back to him the next day.” Myungjun choked out his words, stumbling over half of them, completely distraught with his decision. “Jinw-woo, I'm an _idiot!_ Why d-did I break up with hi-him?”

Jinwoo sighed. “Because,” he said, “you're an idiot.”

He found that Myungjun wasn't at home, and was instead in the park near their apartment complex. It only took him a few minutes to head over, bundled up in his coat and mumbling about how he _could_ be sleeping if not for his very deep friendship he had with Kim Myungjun.

The older boy, for his part, looked terrible. His eyes were red-rimmed, and his cheeks were stricken with tears. He wore two scarves, covering half his face from Jinwoo's view, but he kept sniffling so much that Jinwoo wouldn't be surprised if one of the scarves carried a pleasant amount of snot.

He sat on a swing; Jinwoo sat beside him.

“So,” Jinwoo muttered. The swing was cold, but if Myungjun wasn't going to get up and move, neither was Jinwoo. “You know you need to get back together with him.”

Myungjun sniffed again. He looked absolutely pitiful. “He probably won't want to. Why would he? I broke up with him in the first place. He should just forget all about me. He can get _anyone_ he wants, Jinjin, why would he go out with _me?_ ”

“Because he likes you. Because he _loves_ you. And it doesn't matter if he can get anyone – he chose _you_. He would still choose you, in a heartbeat.”

Myungjun shook his head. “You don't know that.”

“I _do_. And I know that you're just being an idiot by sitting out here in the cold and refusing to admit that you and Bin would _still_ be the best couple to ever walk the face of the planet.” He softened when Myungjun glanced over at him, moving to put a cold hand atop of the boy's knee. “Myungjun, I know you're terrified of the future. I know you're scared of you and Bin drifting apart. But wouldn't you rather give it a shot, see if the future is open to a Myungjun-and-Bin sort of relationship, rather than toss it all right now and let two years as a couple go to waste?”

It took a minute or two for Myungjun to finally nod his head, slowly, unsure of anything at all. “I love him,” he murmured.

“That's all you need sometimes to make these things work,” Jinwoo stated. “And you and Bin have such a _perfect_ love. The future will fall into place if you let it. Just stay by his side, though, and it'll be okay.”

They decided, then, that the best thing to do would be to apologize to Bin. Jinwoo suggested sometime after school; Myungjun wanted to do it right then and there, to run to Bin's house, or to call him and ask for forgiveness, but Jinwoo, with a head still on his shoulders, decided against it. “It's late,” Jinwoo reminded, as he and Myungjun walked home, arms linked together and hips bumping into each other. “He's asleep. Like _you_ should be, Junnie.”

“Yeah, I know.” They stopped by Myungjun's apartment first, lowering their voice so as to not wake any of the neighbors, or Myungjun's parents. “Jinwoo?”

“Hm?”

“How should I do it? Should I buy him something? Should I serenade him? Should I cry an-and beg?”

Jinwoo shook his head, taking off Myungjun's beanie and smoothing down his hair. “None of those,” the younger boy suggested. “I think, what you should do, is just tell him how you felt. Explain it all to him. And then let _him_ make the decision. He might need some time to himself. You'll give it to him, right?”

“No! I should keep trying.”

“Myungjun...” Jinwoo narrowed his eyes, and Myungjun, seeming to catch on, sighed softly.

“I'll...I'll give him some time, then, if he asks for it,” he agreed quietly. When Jinwoo's hands finally stilled, Myungjun cleared his throat and stepped back. “I'm going inside. Jinwoo, um...thank you. F-For everything, alright? For everything you've done so far, an-and everything I know you'll end up doing.”

Jinwoo snorted. “Well, you need someone to clean up your mess, and I guess I'm the most able.”

Myungjun laughed, finally, bright and short and quick, and then grinned. “See you tomorrow?”

“Go inside, Myungjun.”

Myungjun retreated, blowing fake kisses to Jinwoo, not satisfied until Jinwoo caught at least one of them.

Jinwoo felt assured that it would all work out somehow, sometime after school, but life seemed to have a way of surprising him, of deviating from the norm. Myungjun trudged down the hall by his side, as per usual, and Bin stood by his locker, a scarf in his hand.

When they met eyes, Myungjun stopped. He looked alarmed and nervous. His grip tightened on his backpack, and he moved to try and walk the other way (hitting Jinwoo as he did so). However, Bin was fast, hurrying forward with great urgency. His eyes were red-rimmed, just as Myungjun's were, and he looked as if he hadn't slept for the entire night. The scarf was held in tight fists, bunched up together, his knuckles white.

Myungjun continued his attempt to escape. Jinwoo held him back.

“Jinwoo,” Myungjun hissed, “you said _after_ school.”

“He obviously has other plans,” Jinwoo responded, and he spun Myungjun back around, ensuring he faced Bin properly.

Bin didn't even hesitate in wrapping the scarf around Myungjun's neck, doubling up with the scarf Myungjun already _had_ on, reminding Jinwoo very much of the hours previously. He took his time in wrapping it correctly, exposing only a portion of Myungjun's face underneath such thick fabrics, and then, suddenly, he held the bare portion of Myungjun's cheek in gentle hands.

“Myungjun,” he whispered, “please...I know you'll graduate and be in college, and I'll be stuck here for two more years, but don't...don't break up with me.” His voice was soft, pleading Myungjun to listen, and Myungjun stared at him with wide eyes. “I can take the train to Seoul every weekend – or, if you have time, you can take the train back here! You like cute stationary, I know you do, and we can send each other messages, and-and when we miss each other too much, we can always do video calls. I don't mind having a relationship like that if it means I get to have _you_.” He smiled, though he seemed unsure and nervous, and dropped his hands to grasp onto Myungjun's own hands.

A small crowd was watching, all with baited breath, to see what would happen next.

“I love you, Myungjun,” Bin said. “And...and I love you, but I respect whatever you choose, and if you don't want to choose _now_ , here, with everyone around us, I understand. You can tell me later, if you want.”

He seemed to be ready to leave, spurred by Myungjun's silent shock, but Myungjun had other plans. Myungjun tore his hands from Bin's hold and began to tug down on his scarves, desperately and frantically. And, finally, he moved the fabric just enough that his mouth was visible; instead of saying anything, he leaned forward and kissed Bin.

The crowd cooed at the display of affection. When the two boys drew back to take a breath, Bin was grinning from ear to ear.

“D-Does this mean that we're still a couple?” he questioned, hope filling his words, not yet daring to believe the break-up might not have been as permanent as he had thought.

Myungjun nodded his head and offered his own smile. “I, um...I'm sorry. I didn't...I wasn't thinking. I'm scared of the future, Binnie, a-and I thought this would work, and-”

Bin shushed him with another kiss, bending over slightly in order to reach Myungjun. The bell for classes rang, and a few students reluctantly pulled away from the scene before them in order to not be counted late.

Jinwoo had to tug at Myungjun's arm, once more breaking the two boys from their intimate embrace.

As far as Jinwoo knew, they talked it out later on. They discussed the future, all of Myungjun's fears and all of Bin's excitement. They planned out schedules, how they would see each other, when Bin could leave his own home and come join Myungjun in his new apartment. And from then on, the Scarf Schedule continued, stretching to the end of the school year, and into Myungjun's graduation, where the boy broke away from his classmates and met Bin halfway down the aisle. Bin hugged him tightly, kissed his cheek, and wrapped a scarf around his neck.

(Jinwoo thought they should be bored of their high school scarf tradition, but he assumed he was wrong with that thought. Myungjun wrapped a scarf around Bin's neck at their wedding, right after they said their vows and kissed.

“Gross,” Jinwoo complained, watching Myungjun and Bin feed each other cake, now _both_ of them wearing scarves. “I'd kill myself if I was that lovey-dovey.”

Dongmin, sitting beside him, gave a light hum in response, then pointed out, “Aren't you the one who bought us Mr. and Mr. throw pillows for our bed?”)

 

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you guys enjoyed! hmu [@vonseal](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com). i'll try to update A03 fics 3 times a week, just for funsies, but we'll see :)


End file.
